Curriculum Committee Charter

Mission and Scope

Alignment with Strategic Plan

1. Student Success

  • Advance student success by optimizing the curriculum and programs 

2. Affordable & Accessible Education

  • Deliver quality, affordable education
  • Ensure accessible education

3. Advance the Local and Global Workforce

  • Meet evolving workforce needs

Alignment with NWCCU 2020 Accreditation Standards

  • 1.B.1 The institution demonstrates a continuous process to assess institutional effectiveness, including student learning and achievement and support services. The institution uses an ongoing and systematic evaluation and planning process to inform and refine its effectiveness, assign resources, and improve student learning and achievement.
  • 1.B.2 The institution sets and articulates meaningful goals, objectives, and indicators of its goals to define mission fulfillment and to improve its effectiveness in the context of and in comparison with regional and national peer institutions.
  • 1.C.1 The institution offers programs with appropriate content and rigor that are consistent with its mission, culminate in achievement of clearly identified student learning outcomes that lead to collegiate-level degrees, certificates, or credentials and include designators consistent with program content in recognized fields of study.
  • 1.C.2 The institution awards credit, degrees, certificates, or credentials for programs that are based upon student learning and learning outcomes that offer an appropriate breadth, depth, sequencing, and synthesis of learning.
  • 1.C.3 The institution identifies and publishes expected program and degree learning outcomes for all degrees, certificates, and credentials. Information on expected student learning outcomes for all courses is provided to enrolled students.
  • 1.C.4 The institution’s admission and completion or graduation requirements are clearly defined, widely published, and easily accessible to students and the public.
  • 1.C.5 The institution engages in an effective system of assessment to evaluate the quality of learning in its programs. The institution recognizes the central role of faculty to establish curricula, assess student learning, and improve instructional programs.
  • 1.C.6 Consistent with its mission, the institution establishes and assesses, across all associate and bachelor level programs or within a General Education curriculum, institutional learning outcomes and/or core competencies. Examples of such learning outcomes and competencies include, but are not limited to, effective communication skills, global awareness, cultural sensitivity, scientific and quantitative reasoning, critical analysis and logical thinking, problem solving, and/or information literacy.
  • 1.C.7 The institution uses the results of its assessment efforts to inform academic and learning-support planning and practices to continuously improve student learning outcomes.
  • 1.C.8 Transfer credit and credit for prior learning is accepted according to clearly defined, widely published, and easily accessible policies that provide adequate safeguards to ensure academic quality. In accepting transfer credit, the receiving institution ensures that such credit accepted is appropriate for its programs and comparable in nature, content, academic rigor, and quality.
  • 1.D.1 Consistent with its mission, the institution recruits and admits students with the potential to benefit from its educational programs. It orients students to ensure they understand the requirements related to their programs of study and receive timely, useful, and accurate information and advice about relevant academic requirements, including graduation and transfer policies.
  • 1.D.2 Consistent with its mission and in the context of and in comparison with regional and national peer institutions, the institution establishes and shares widely a set of indicators for student achievement including, but not limited to, persistence, completion, retention, and postgraduation success. Such indicators of student achievement should be disaggregated by race, ethnicity, age, gender, socioeconomic status, first generation college student, and any other institutionally meaningful categories that may help promote student achievement and close barriers to academic excellence and success (equity gaps).
  • 1.D.3 The institution’s disaggregated indicators of student achievement should be widely published and available on the institution’s website. Such disaggregated indicators should be aligned with meaningful, institutionally identified indicators benchmarked against indicators for peer institutions at the regional and national levels and be used for continuous improvement to inform planning, decision making, and allocation of resources.
  • 1.D.4 The institution’s processes and methodologies for collecting and analyzing indicators of student achievement are transparent and are used to inform and implement strategies and allocate resources to mitigate perceived gaps in achievement and equity.

Mission

The Curriculum Committee believes that the accomplishment of the mission of the Faculty Senate and the College, to empower students to succeed by providing affordable and accessible education to advance the local and global workforce, requires an effective curriculum and program organization. The work of the committee is aligned with CWI’s Strategic Plan and the NWCCU accreditation standards. 

Charge and Objectives

  • Review and make recommendations concerning curriculum for Provost approval. Basic criteria for the introduction of a new course or program include the following:
    • Fulfills students' needs for their respective programs, satisfies the requests of members of the community for particular technical or business occupations, or offers courses that contribute to an enrichment of student life.
    • Qualified instruction is available.
    • Meets the needs of academic transfer partners, as applicable.
  • Analyze and make recommendations for Provost approval concerning curriculum matters relating to the articulation of courses/programs to Idaho state colleges and universities using Idaho State Board of Education guidelines.
  • Make periodic reviews of existing curriculum, revising or removing courses when necessary. Basic criteria for course revision or removal include the following:
    • A lack of qualified faculty member to teach the course.
    • Insufficient student demand for a particular course or program.
    • A change in curriculum requirements in a specific major field for which we offer parallel courses.
    • Lack of funding for the course.
    • Course is determined to be no longer appropriate for current curricular needs.
    • Course would create unnecessary duplication of course offerings.
  • Review and approve changes to policy language that appears in the “Academic Regulations,” “Degree/Certificate Requirements,” “Programs of Study,” and “Course Descriptions” sections of the CWI Course Catalog.

History

The Curriculum Committee has been active with the current organization since Fall 2013.

Current and Former Committee Chairs include:

  • Willard Pack
  • Susan Aydelotte
  • Linda Otto
  • Michelle Fellows

Membership and Representation

A. Leadership

  • Chair
    • The committee will have a chairperson to call and organize meetings and coordinate with other parts of the college as needed. The elected Chair shall serve a minimum two-year term.
  • Vice Chair
    • The committee will also have a vice chairperson to assist the chairperson in carrying out these responsibilities. 
  • Secretary
    • The committee will have a secretary to record minutes at each meeting. 

B. Selection of leadership

  • Chair
    • The Vice Chair will become the Chair after serving two years under the previous Chair
  • Vice Chair
    • The committee will nominate and elect a Vice Chair from the existing voting membership or from existing voting members of the General Education Subcommittee, Liberal Arts Advisory Subcommittee, or STEM Advisory Subcommittee. The Vice Chair shall serve under the Chair for a two-year term before becoming chair of the committee.
  • Secretary
    • The committee will nominate and elect a Secretary biannually.

C. Terms

  • Term Periods
    • Chair and Vice Chair positions will serve for a minimum of two years
  • Limits
    • There are no term limits set for Chair or Vice Chair, with approval of the Committee
  • Rotations
    • After two years, the Chair may step down and allow the Vice Chair to take the role of Chair.
  • Vacancies
    • Should there be a vacancy created before the end of term in the Chair position, the Vice Chair will assume the role of Chair and a new Vice Chair will be selected to accompany them in a leadership role following the normal selection procedure.

Members

A. Regular/representative voting members

The voting membership of the Curriculum Committee is made up of a full-time faculty representative from each of CWI’s instructional departments, the committee Vice-Chair, and (in the case of a tie) the committee Chair. Voting members on the Curriculum Committee act as representatives to their departments.  Regular/representative voting members are responsible for the following tasks:

  • Facilitate curriculum proposal submissions from their respective departments to the committee and represent these curriculum proposals at monthly meetings
  • Review all curriculum proposals before each monthly meeting
  • Prepare for, attend, and participate in monthly meetings
  • Provide input during meetings that reflects the department’s view on curriculum proposals and subcommittee recommendations
  • Vote on curriculum proposals and subcommittee recommendations, taking into account department view and broader perspectives to support the mission of the college
  • Report curriculum changes/updates to their respective departments after each monthly meeting

B. Ex Officio members

The list of advisory non-voting, ex-officio members includes the following:

  • All Department Chairs who are not voting members
  • All Instructional Deans
  • Provost
  • Coordinator of Curriculum Management
  • Dean of Students
  • Director of Advising
  • Director of Financial Aid
  • Director of Dual Credit
  • Director of Library Services
  • Faculty Senate President
  • General Education Coordinator
  • Registrar
  • Student nominated by the Student Senate to serve a one-year term

C. Other non-voting members/visitors

Additional members may be added to fulfill the needs of the committee. Curriculum meetings are open to all CWI faculty and staff.

D. Selection of members

Voting members are appointed by the Dean of each school.

E. Terms

  • Term Periods
    • Willing full-time faculty members will serve as the department's representative on the Curriculum Committee for a term of three years. At the end of the term, a representative may be approved to continue.
  • Limits
    • There are no limits set for the number of terms an individual may serve on the Committee.
  • Rotations
    • In order to maintain institutional knowledge on the Committee, it is expected that no more than a third of the voting members will leave in any given year, using the following suggested rotation:
    • Wave 1 (begin new term 23-24): Integrated Studies, Biological Sciences, Math, Motor Technology, Health Professions, Public Safety, Agricultural Sciences, Diesel Technology
    • Wave 2 (begin new term 24-25): Business, Communication & Marketing, Engineering, Health Science, Modern Languages, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences
    • Wave 3 (begin new term 25-26): Computer Sciences and Technology, Education, English, Culture & History, Visual and Performing Arts, Nursing, Manufacturing & Welding

Standing Subcommittees

Standing Subcommittees include the Academic Calendar Committee, the General Education Subcommittee, the Liberal Arts Advisory Subcommittee, and the STEM Advisory Subcommittee.

Formation of orkgroups

As needed, ad hoc subcommittees and workgroups may be formed from members of the Curriculum Committee.

Reporting

A. Reporting body

Curriculum Committee is a subcommittee of and reports to the Faculty Senate, Provost, and State Division of Career Technical Education. 

B. Method of reporting

  1. The chair will send a brief monthly update to the Faculty Senate President prior to each regular Senate meeting. The update will be added to the Senate minutes. If the committee has business to be discussed by the Senate, the chair will send as a separate request one week prior to the meeting.

  2. A member of the Faculty Senate will attend the monthly meetings and may act as the reporting vehicle to the Faculty Senate.

  3. The Provost will attend Curriculum Committee meetings. Minutes of Curriculum Committee meetings are posted internally under the Curriculum site.

  4. The Idaho State Division of Career Technical Education has final approval authority for CTE programs. The CWI Curriculum Committee will review and add recommendations to CTE curriculum, but the SDCTE retains “approval” authority.

C. Required report content

Monthly reports will contain information on current projects, upcoming issues, and recent decisions.

Operating Procedures

A. Frequency of meetings

Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of every month while faculty are on contract.  Additional meetings may be added to allow, as needed. 

B. Methods of meeting

  1. Meetings will be held either in person or online via streaming software.

  2. In order to hold a meeting in which action is taken, a quorum consisting of a simple majority of the committee members must be present. Committee members may select another member of the faculty to attend in their absence and vote on their behalf.

C. Voting procedures

A motion will pass with a simple majority of those in attendance. The Chair will vote only in the case of a tie.

D. Minutes

Minutes are kept by the Secretary, though may be taken by the Vice-Chair of the committee if no secretary is selected.  Those minutes are then uploaded to a repository on the CWI website and are shared and voted upon in the following Committee meeting.

Maintenance of Committee Documents and Records

The minutes and agendas are stored within a repository on the CWI website.  The files that correspond to classes and programs on which the committee votes are kept within the CIM system and Colleague.